Centkifttgal sepabatob and amaxgamatob



1927. June 21 w; c. COLEMAN CENTRIFUGAL' SEPARATOR AND AMALGAMATOR Filed Sent. 6, 1924 n 0 I 4 W 2 m M. Q u W m M 0 M [I f m 2 Y B 45 xx 6 0 Z Z 4 a 2 M M A TTORNEY precious metal.

Patented June 21, 1927. i

UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM c. COLEMAN, or WICHITA, KANSAS.

CENTRIFUGAL SEPARATORLAND AMALGAMATOR.

Application filed September 6, 1924. Serial No. 736,374

the mercury space or chamber will be slowenough to insure a relatively high yield of a I have found that where the I material passes through the machine too rapidly, the

passage through the mercury chamber is re-.

tarded. In other words there is a time element to be taken into consideration with respect to the passage of the pulp over the mercury. y

I have also found that where the mercury is relatively still within the rotor of the centrifugal separator that the centrifugal force appears to compactthe mercury against the wall of the rotor to such an extent that the surface tension of the mercury is so great that the fine particles of precious metal cannot penetrate the surface of the mercury. In that case, the yield is cut down to what is possible after the surface is broken up so I have provided means in'the present construction which causes the mercury to be continuously moreor less in a state of ag tation so as to reduce the surface tension and to this end I provide agitating means for the mercury. p I

The invention further contemplates an outer rotor and an inner rotor in inverted ;relation and spaced apart, preferably rotating together, the outer rotor being provided with a central outlet opening, the wall of the inner rotor being in spaced relation between two walls of the outer rotor and in actual practice, I have found that when the pulp passesfrom the outer space between,

trifugal force tends, to cause the pulp to whirl and the. whirling motion seems to cause it to stratify. horizontally so that it forms an opposing screen to the incoming pulp from the outer space to the inner space. In order to break down the wall formed by the whirling centrifugal actuated pulp, itbecomes necessary to use 0011. siderable power to force the material into the machine, but by providing deflecting vanes or blades on the inner wallof the outer rotor Within the inner space, I am enabled to break up this Whirlingmotion .and cause an easy flow of the refuse pulp through the inner space toward the discharge opening of the machine,

I am also enabled by the constructio herein described to practically eliminate the mercury from being carried over-with the:

refuse. to the discharge opening of the machine, this being accomplished by the peculiar construction of the Wall of the outer rotor-as will be apparent afterthe nature of the invention is better understood. 7

The main features of my invention will be clearly appreciated by reference to the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through a centrifugal separator and" amalgamator constructed with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional fragmentary view through the outer part 'of the outer wall of the outer rotor showing one form of mercury agitator, and

in accordance Fig. 25 is a like view showing another form of mercury agitator.

Iteferring now -to the drawings-by numerals of reference 1 designates a head which may be suitably supported for example on the beams 2 and 3. The head is provided with a ver-.

tical bearing 4 having a hollow shaft 5 and there is a thrust bearing 6 which may be of appropriate construction. The hollowshaft 5 1S driven by suitable power applied to a pulley or other appropriate power transmitting means.

The upper end of the hollow shaft 5 may be in communication with a suitable conduit through which by means of a pump,

pulp is supplied to the shaft 5, the shaft 5 serving both as a drive shaft and as a pulp conducting conduit. On the lower end of the shaft 5 is fastened a cover 8 constituting part of an outer rotor.

The outer rotor has an outer wall 9 and an inner wall 10, the two walls being in spaced relation and connected at their bot tom edges by a constricted portion 11, the outer wall 12 of which is inclined upwardly and outwardly toward the offset mercury space or chamber 13 in the wall 9.

The inner wall 10 merges into a conical nienib'er 1-l surrounding a discharge port opening 15. The conical portion carries deflector wings or blades spaced apart around the axis of the outer rotor. The outer rotor as will be apparent from the above description is cup shaped with a double wall to provide a suitable space for the wall of the inner rotor and for the mercury chamber. The inner rotor is inverted with respect to the outer rotor, that is its horizontal wall 17 is atthe upper portion of die-machine and itis in the form of a disk which overlaps the vertical wall 17" slightly providing a flange 18 which constricts the space 19 connnunicating the sludge space 20 with the amalgamator chamber 13. I

The depending wall 17 of the inner rotor extends to a point nearly to the bottom of the portion 11 sothat the space 91 between the lower edge of the walll'f and the all of the outer rotor is constricted with respect to the amalgamator chamber for a purpose which will be presently explained.

The disk 17 is held in spaced relation with the cover to provide the chamber 20 by separators 22 through which the bolts 23 for fastening the two rotors together pass. The cover and outer rotor wall 9 are fastened together by the bolts lVithin the mercury chamber an agitator consisting of a corrugated sheet 25 suitably fastened to the outer wall of the outer rotor. This sheet may be in the form of an amalgamator blade if desired, or I -may corrugate the inner surface of the outer wall '9 of the rotor as indicated at 26 (Fig. 3), or if desired other agitating means may be provided for the mercury, the important feature being that the mercury be broken up 'or be caused to agitate so that the surface tension will'b'e destroyed.

hen the parts are assembled, the pulp will be fed into the machine through the conduit 01' hollow shaft 5 which may all the while be rotated by power applied to the pulley 7 fast on the shaft. After the material is fed upon the disk or table 17, it will be distributed by centrifugal force off the edges of the disk into the amalgamator space between the wall of the inner rotor and the outer wall of the outer rotor. After the pulp reaches the amalgamator or separat-or chamber, the centrifugal force of the and cover together. may besecured in an appropriate manner to machine will tend to separate out the larger particles of precious metal, the fine particles being absorbed by the mercury and since the mercury will be in a state of agitation, due to the fact that it tends to lag so that the corrugations ride over it, the resistance of the mercury will 'be less and the penctrabih ity of the precious 111013211 will be greater than could be possible where the surface tension was maintained to any considerable extent.

I have shown corrugations for causing agitation, but I do not wish to be limited to any particular form of i'tator, the important feature being that the surface tension of the mercury be reduced to a niinimum. I

After the pulp passes through the amalgainator and separator chamber, it will graritate to the bottom of the outer rotor tothe constricted portion 11 where its flow will be retarded so that it will not pass too rapidly into the inner space between the wall 10 and the wall 17. Therefore the pulp" will remain in the separator chamber long enough to be thoroughly acted'upon by the centrifugal machine and the mercury sothat practically all of theprecious metal will be taken out of the pulp. The metallic impoverished pulp, now refuse will pass into the inner chamber where it will contact with the blades -16 and since the blades 16 will resist any tendency forthe pulp to slip with relation to the rotor, the pulp can readily pass out through the orifice 15.

The blades or vanes are quite important, for without them, the pulp would form in a whirling mass tending'to scour against the greatest diameter of the inside chamber or space and stratify horizontally so as to oppose the passage of the pulp from the outer chamber to the inner chamber. As a result sufficient power would have to be on ert-ed on the incoming pulp to breal; down the horizontal strata but by providing the blades or vanes 16 the material cannot stratify.

It is characteristic of centrifugal separators that the machine travels faster than the pulp so there is more or less scour on the mercury but the mercury will tend to more toward the greatest diameter of the outer rotor so by providing the outwardly and up wardly inclined wall 12 an easy angle is provided up which the mercury may ride into the mercury space, so that liability of the mercury being carried over with the refuse and out through the outlet 15 will be eliminated.

The device can be readily assembled by first connecting the inner rotor to the cover. introducing the mercury in the bottom of the outer rotor and fastening the outer rotor The cover of course the shaft or hollow conduit 5.

I have not shown the pum for pumping the pulp into the hollow sha t or conduit 5 as this is old construction and any suitable means may be provided for introducing the material into the machine.

What I claim and desire to secure by Lettors-Patent is: p

1. A centrifugal separator and amalgamator comprising an outer rotor having an inlet and an outlet, the rotor having a mercury chamber, an inner rotor in spaced relation with the first to divide the first named rotor into two communicating chambers, the two chambers communicating through a vertically constricted passageway at the lowermost part of the'outer rotor so as r to retard the flow of material through the mercury chamber, the outlet for the outer rotor being within the inner rotor and vanes about the outlet.

2. A centrifugal separator and amalgamator comprising an outer rotor and an inner rotor, the outer rotor comprising an inlet having a casing at its top and an outlet at its bottom, and provided with a mercury chamber, the inner rotor comprising an intor comprising an outer rotor and an inner verted cup shaped member in spaced rela tion with the outer rotor and immediately beneath the inlet so that the inner rotor constitutes a distributor for delivering the material into the mercury chamber, the free edge of the inner rotor being closer to the wall of the outer rotor than any other part of the inner rotor and means for rotating the rotors.

3. A centrifugal separator and amalgama- I tor comprising an outer rotor consisting of an enclosing casing provided with an inlet at its top and an outlet at its bottom, the

outer rotor having a mercury chamber at its greatest diameter, the lower portion of the'wall of the outer rotor being in theform of -a groove having a wall inclined outwardly to ward the mercury chamber, an inverted cup shaped member secured within the outer rotor in spaced relation thereto, having a free edge in the groove shaped portion of the bottom of the casing closer to the outer rotor than any other part of the inner rotor to provide a restricted space communicating the space outside the cup shaped member with a space inside the cup shaped member and a corrugated agitating means in the mercury chamber.

l. A centrifugal separator and amalgamator comprising an outer rotor consisting of an enclosing casing provided with an inlet at its top and an outlet at its bottom, the outer rotor having a mercury chamber at its greatest diameter, the lower portion of the wall of the outer rotor being in the form of a groove having a wall inclined outwardly toward the mercury chamber, an inverted cup shaped member secured within the outer rotor in spaced relation thereto, having a ing on outlet, a feed tube connected to the outer rotor, the two walls of the outer rotor being connected by a portion having a wall inclined upwardly toward the mercury space and an inverted cup shaped rotor within the outer rotor in spaced relation, the free edge of the inner rotor being received in the bottom portion of the space formed by the memher which connects the two walls of the outer rotor, the free edge of the inner rotor being closer to the outer rotor than any other part of the inner rotor.

6. A centrifugal separator and amalgamaed with respect to the distance between the walls of the'outer and inner rotors, deflector blades on the inner wall of the outer rotor and means for feeding material into the space between the two rotors.

7. A centrifugal separator and amalgamator comprising an outer rotor and an inner rotor travelling at the same speed and in spaced relation, the outer rotor having a double wall to provide a space for the wall of the inner rotor, the inner wall of the space of the outer rotor extending from the bottom terminating short of the top and surrounding an outlet opening in the outer rotor, there being a mercury space in the outer wall of the outer rotor, the inner rotor having a wall extending toward the bottom and spaced from the outer rotor, the space at the bottom of the outer rotor being constricted with respect to the distance between the walls of the outer and inner rotors, deflector blades on the inner wall of the outer rotor and means for feeding material int the space between the two rotors.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature.

WILLIAM C. COLEMAN. 

